Lunch walk at ponds near office

From the office, I can take a 5-minute walk (or a 1-minute drive) and get to a few ponds that are now bursting with life.  When they were first made, there was little there other than muddy water - but I still liked to hang out there.  But since then, over the last 10 years or so, life has discovered this little spot.  I'm not exactly sure why they were built, but they sure provide a nice spot for lunch photography walks. Here are a few shots from a recent walk, in June 2013. All shots taken with my 70 - 300mm lens.  It's a slow lens, but does "ok" when there is enough light - like this bright sunny day!

Spring 2013 Images - Part 2

Here are a few bird pictures taken this Spring... notice the pair of geese in my driveway - they are just as noisy as the domestic kind! Also, the single goose was sitting on a nest.  I have gone back to see if the eggs hatched yet, but I'm hoping for some baby Canada geese soon as I know where that one was found (easy access too).

2012-05-08

Today, it's all about birds.  Went to a local park with the family, while I still had my father's 300mm lens.  So I managed to take quite a few bird pictures.  The biggest challenge I had (as always!) was low light.  At 300mm, there is much less light coming in than at 70mm.  I cheated this time, I just set the camera to "sports mode".  Bad idea for the most part!  Many pictures had some areas that were blown out.  Lesson learned: never trust the machine!  I should of chose a specific ISO, maxed out aperture, used a fast shutter speed and lightly under-expose.  I seem to find fixing an under-exposed image always easier than fixing an over-exposed image. Still learning as I go... having the extra toys really helps though - this is a nice lens! (http://www.nikonusa.com/Nikon-Products/Product/Camera-Lenses/2161/AF-S-VR-Zoom-NIKKOR-70-300mm-f%252F4.5-5.6G-IF-ED.html)